Fiber Arts Festival next weekend in Oxford

OXFORD – Knitters, crocheters, weavers and spinners – or those who wish they were – will find a home at the third annual Fiber Arts Festival in Oxford next weekend.
The festival is bigger than ever, with more vendors, more workshops and more events.
“There’s a lot more to do,” said Patsy Engelhard, owner of Knit1 Oxford, which is presenting the festival. “We’re very excited. There are new workshops and incredible vendors who are willing to teach the experienced to the uninitiated.”
The weekend kicks off at 2 p.m. Jan. 25, which is when vendors open their booths.
Shannon Okey, publisher of Cooperative Press, will deliver the keynote address, “Knitwear as Fashion,” at 6 p.m. that night.
The weekend continues 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, with vendors, workshops, a knitting circle and kids’ activities.
Animals like rabbits, llamas, alpaca, goats and sheep will be there, too.
The festival wraps on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the final workshops, as well as raffle drawings for two locally made wool blankets. The proceeds from the raffles will be donated to the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.
Workshops include intro to lace, yarn dyeing and felting. The workshops are open to beginners to experts; a full schedule of workshops are at the Knit 1 website.
Vendors are coming in from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and from across Mississippi, and they’ll sell, equipment, supplies and finished goods.
“What you’ll find, you cannot find in any store or on any website,” she said. “It consists of things that are done by the people that are vendors. They’ve created their own products and they’re bringing them to you.”
A new feature to this year’s Fiber Arts Festival is a book booth. Okey will sell books published by her company, and Book Nook will sell vintage craft books.
Spoonfudge!, a fudge company in central Mississippi, will be on hand selling fudge in a jar.
sheena.barnett@journalinc.com